Hand-control load-lifting truck



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R. R. IKECK HAND coNTRQL LOAD LIFTINGA frucx Filed March 14 lNvENToR R R .Mec/.

BY y

ToRNEY Patented Feb. 26, i924.,

TES

erica rarer ROBERT R. KECK, G'F ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA.

HAND-CONTROL LOAD-LIFIING- TRUCK.

Application led March 14, 1923.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT R. Knorr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alhambra, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Control Load-Lifting Trucks, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention, which generally relates to hand manipulated trucks adapted to move articles of furniture, filing cabinets, book cases and other articles which stand on legs of suicient height to permit of running the truck thereunder, is more especially designed for lifting and transporting the modern types of gas and electric stoves. Primarily my invention has for its object to provide an improved truck of the general character mentioned, that is of a relatively simple and 2o inexpensive construction, whose portable framing is practically adjustable to set the lifting elements to suit the body heights of the stove or other article to be lifted and in which the operation of lifting or lowering the stove, or other object to be received thereon, is effected by a simple arrangement of and an easily controlled hand lever.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved construction of truck for the purposes stated in which the parts are compactly assembled and arranged for providing a truck of great strength and the said parts thereof joined that they will not 'easily brealr or get out of operative condition, even when under great load strains.

Viith the above objects in view, my invention is a combined load lifting and transferring truck embodying the peculiar features of construction and novel combination of parts fully explained in the following dev Serial No. 625,106.

Figure 4 is a detail view showing the truck handle swung back in dotted lines.

My improved truck comprises essentially a main or supporting frame that is mounted on rollers to facilitate pushing or pulling the truck with or without the load, as desired, vertically shiftable lifting elements mounted on the main or supporting frame and a s-ingle hand lever control means to govern the maximum leverage for lifting the load and holding it to its lifted position without undue exertion onV the part of the operator handling the truck.

In the practical development of my invention, as shown in the drawing, the main or supporting body includes an upper rectangular frame that consists of opposite side bars 1 1 and opposite end bars 2 2. The main body frame is supported at the four corners by pipe legs 3 3 whose upper ends are joined with the corners of the main body members, in any suitable manner, and to provide for adjusting the main frame, high or low, as desired, each corner support or leg 3 includes a caster carrying pipe section 30. The several pipe sections 30 slidably engage their respective tubular pipe legs 3 and are secured in their vertical adjustment by clamp screws, as will be readily understood from the drawing.

The main or body frame also includes bottom side and bottom end members 4 4 and 5 5 secured at their ends to the pipe legs 3.

Rigidly mounted on the body frame is a supplemental frame, which is located at the forward end Vof the main framerand comprises a vertical member 6 Vthat is rigidly connected at its upper and lower ends to the upper and lower front bars of the main or body frame, and a horizontal brace bar 7 that extends from the front to the rear bottom members 5 5. l

rlhe supplemental frame also includes an inwardly extended horizontal member 8 that is riveted or otherwise made fast to the central member 6 and to the upper end of a short vertical standard 9. The standard 9 has its lower end secured to the bottom bar 7 and it is laterally braced by diagonally extended side members 10-7-10 whose lower or outer ends are riveted to the opposite side bars 4 4 of the main iframe, as shown.

In my truck structure, the lifter frame is also of rectangularshape and is' substantially of the length and width of the upper rectangular frame and of the main supporting frame or body, it being shaped for litting closely within the confines of the sides and ends of the top main frame portion when the said lifting elements are at the lowered position, as shown in Figure 3.

rlhe lifter frame consists oi' opposite side members 11,-11 and opposite end members 12-12, the Alatter and the members 11-11 being secured at the corners to produce a frame thatis suihciently rigid vto support the load whenv lifted to the position shown in Figure 1, it being understood that when the lifter frame is at the lowered position it rests upon the top oit the main 'frame to thereby permit of freely moving the truck frame under the object to be lifted and moved.

The outer ends of the side bars 11-11 of the litter trame each have an elongated slot 11a and. said slots are provided to receive studs 14-111 secured to the upper ends of the opposite pairs of' U-shapedleverframes located one at each end of the main iframe, as is best shown in Figure 1, by reference to which it will be observed each vtrame includes opposite sidelarmsvlil, which are joined at their inner ends by a cross member 15 and to each oi which, centrally thereof, is pivotally connected apen-dent link 16,- the purpose oi which will be presently explained.

Each lever traine is pivotally mounted on the top of the main frame to swing in" the vertical direction and 'tor such purpose each of the opposite side arms 13 oi the 'frame has a lateral stud 13a located near the outer end thereof-'for engaging bracket bearings 13b-13b attached to andv projected from their adjacent top side rails 1.--1 oifthe mai-n frame, as shown.

17 designates a main lever bar which extends inwardly and lengthwise of the main 'trame and it is fulcrumed on a stud 17P- that projects laterally from the `meeting ends of the members 8 and 9 0i' the supplemental Jrame.

By referring particularly to Figure 2 of the drawingfit will be seen the outer end-of the-main lever bar 17 is pivotally joined to one end of a substantially U-shaped lever-link 18. T he other endofsaid link is pivotedas at 19 to the biturcated end of the bell cr-ank lever 2O that is ulcrumed to the vertical :trame member v6 andhasl its outer end provided w-ith a handle;v 21 for conveniently changing the position ofthe lever 2O when shifting Vthe vlifting element up or down, as will be presently further explained.

By reason of pivotally joining the link 18 22 designates a bail shaped handle whose opposite side members are pivoted to the outer front ends of the main frame. The handle when swung out, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2, serves as a hand control for pulling or' pushing the truck with the load as desired, and when the truck isnot in use, the said handle 22 can be swung back on top oi the main frame, as is clearly indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3.

rPhe two links V16--16 pendent from the adjacent inner cross members 15 of the swinging 'frames are pivotally connected to the inner end of the main lever 17- and by'reason thereof when the said main leveris swung up or down the two swinging tramesl are likewise shifted, it being understood, .from

the drawing, that the pivotal connection of the said two frames are such that when the main lever is swung down inthe manner presently mentioned, to the position shown in Figure 1 and indicated indotted-line's'in Figure 2, the outerends of the vframes are swung up andthereby elevate the rectangular lifting frame with the stove-thereon andA with the legs oit the saidv stove raised from the door, it being understood that the'stud and slot connections 11d and 141 that join-the lifter 'frame and the side arms of the swing'- 1 able lever frames provide for the necessary shifting ot the said members when adjusting the parts, as stated: v

By reason o' providing a bell crank; hand lever and 'ulcruming the said lever 0n:Y theY vertical frame member 6 and joining' the vsaid bellicrank lever to the outer-endofthe main: lever 17 bj.'v a substantially U shaped link connection, as shown and described, when the said crank lever is swung up with the handle close against the upper end rail of the main frame, as in Figure 2, the U shaped link connection, j0iiiedavithtl1e bell crank lever and the main lever 17 causes the outer end of the saidlever 17 to swing downwardlyand since the inner end ofthe said lever 17 connects, throughthelinks-16446 with the two swinging frames, the-'said frames are swung'so tliey'assumethe-hori'- Zontal position, practically flush with thetop rails of the main frame', the fulcrum'connectionsV for the bell'cranklever` or U shaped" links and the outer end of the levers 17 i being such thatwhen the swinging frames are shifted to the saidfhorizontal.position, the several levers will be held in a'substantia'lly locked position to hold the said swinging frames up to the position Vstated and thereby permit of the ready removal of the truck from under the object that has been lifted and moved to the desired place.

After the truck is pushed under the stove or other objectto be loaded and shifted, the said object is Vlifted from the Hoor by grasping the hand hold of the lever 2O and pulling it down to the inverted vertical position shown in Figure l and dotted lines on Figure 2, the movement of the several levers pulls the inner ends of the swinging frames down and lifts their outer ends to cause the said frames to rise above the main frame and thereby lift the stove or other object to be moved. llhen the parts are adjusted to the last sta-ted position the weight of the load tends to hold the several levers, including the hand control or crank lever, locked against movement until a pull strain is applied at the hand hold end of the crank lever.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawing, the complete construction, the manner of operation and the advantages of my invention will be readily apparent to those familiar with the making and using of trucks of the general character explained.

Only the manipulation of a single hand lever (the bell crank lever 20) is necessary, in my invention, to shift the lifting elements to the high or low positions and for holding them to such positions until suiiicient force is applied to pull out the hand lever i from either of its reversed positions, thus making it possible for a single operator, with slight effort, to move the stove or other heavy object unaided.

What I claim is:

l. A combined object lifting and transferring truck comprising a main frame including horizontal opposite sides and end members, a lifter frame that works inside the said top members of the main frame, a pair of vertically swingable frames, the said frames being pivotally mounted, one at each end of the top side members of the main frame, the lifter frame being connected to and movable up or down with the outer ends of the swingable frame, a main vertically swingable lever whose outer end extends to the front end of the truck frame, connections that join the inner end of the lever to the inner adjacent ends of the two swingable frames to thereby raise and lower the lifter frame as the main lever is swung up or down and hand controlled lever connections joined with the truck frame and the main lever for effecting movement of the main lever, the said connections including members adapted for holding the parts stated to their reversed adjustments when the main lever is shifted in reverse directions.

2. ln a truck of the character stated, a

main truck frame including top, side and end rails, a lifting frame centrally movable above the said top and side rails of the main frame, actuating means for raising and lowering the lifter frame, the said means comadjacent end of the swingable frames to the lever, a bell crank hand lever fulcrumed on the forward end of the truck frame, and a link connection pivotally joined to the inner end of the bell crank lever and the outer end of the main lever bar, the fulcrum connections of the main lever or hand lever and the link being positioned for maintaining the parts in a relatively locked condition when shifted to their reverse adjustments for raising and lowering the lifter frame.

3. In a. truck of the character stated, a main truck frame including top, side and end rails, a lifting frame centrally movable above the said top and side rails of the main frame, actuating means for raising and lowering the lifter frame, the said means comprising a pair of oppositely disposed swingable frames, each of said frames being fulcrumed between its respective portion of the top side rails of the main frame, a main lever bar fulcrumed on the truck frame and extended lengthwise therethrough from the front end thereof, connections that join the adjacent end of the swingable frames to the lever, a bell crank hand lever fulcrumed on the forward end of the truck frame, a link connection pivotally joined to the inner end of the bell crank lever and the outer end of the main lever bar, the fulcrum connections of the main lever or hand lever and the link being positioned for maintaining the parts in a relatively locked condition when shifted to their reverse adjustments for raising and lowering the lifter frame, the actuating or swinging frames and the lifting frame having compensating connection to provide for elevating the lifter frame in the horizontal plane as the actuating frames swing on their pivotal connections.

4l. An object lifting and moving truck comprising a main frame Vwhich includes horizontal opposite side and end members, a like shaped lifter frame, a pair of opposing and longitudinally disposed lever frames, each of the said lever frames being pivotally mounted on its respective end of the opposite side members of the main frame for projecting the outer ends thereof above the main frame when their inner ends are moved downwardly, the lifter frame being connected to the outer ends of the opposite pair of lever frames to move up and down with such :frame ends,y amain lever projected in the longitudinal direction of the main frame,

connections that join the inner ends of bothv pivoted'- frames to the inner end of the main leven-zi single hand cont-roly lever fuler'uined on the main frame for being swung'v vertically to reverse positions against'the VI'naln frame? and a link connection which joins the hand control levervto the outer endofthel /main' lever, the ulerums of the severl 10 levers and the linkco'nneetion bei-ng; such that W-lien'tlieliandlever is" sWungdoW-n the link'vand lever interengage and are held in a relatively locked position.

ROBRTR. KECKL 

